What should I use to play DVDS on Windows 10?

QI wondered if you could recommend software for playing DVDS and Blu-ray discs on Windows 10. I have Nero, but it no longer supports playback unless you buy a plug-in for about £50. Similar programs appear to be about £60. Is there a cheaper alternative? David Lee

APlaying DVDS on your computer used to be easy. You loaded the disc, then clicked Play in Windows Media Center (WMC). Then Windows 10 came along and WMC went on its merry way. Microsoft wants you to use a Windows Store app called Windows DVD Player ( www.snipca.com/25026), which costs £11.59 and is, to put it kindly, less powerful and stable than WMC. Actually, it’s less powerful and stable than chucking your DVDS out the window and seeing if they play a film on the way down.

There are some excellent alternatives, however. The best two are free. First up, Kodi ( https://kodi.tv). Coverage of Kodi tends to focus on dodgy add-ons that let users watch paid-for content for free, but Kodi itself is perfectly legal. It was designed to let you play DVDS, Blu-ray discs, BBC iplayer content and your home video files – much like WMC. For a full guide to using Kodi, see our cover feature in Issue 498.

Kodi is a marvel, but it can feel overwhelming at first. I prefer VLC Media Player ( www.videolan.org/vlc, pictured), one of my favourite programs of all time. This open-source tool claims it “plays everything” and can certainly handle DVDS and Blu-rays, along with audio and photo CDS and any media codecs you care to throw at it. It’ll even let you record (‘rip’) your discs without needing to install extensions. Just click Media, then ‘Convert/save’ and follow the steps on the excellent VLC Wiki ( www.snipca.com/25027).